Remote control for wireless control of system and displaying of compressed video on a display on the remote

ABSTRACT

A system for wireless remote control of a gateway and ordering or invocation of services provided by a headend. The remote control includes a video display and user input device or keyboard and can decompress and display compressed streaming video in some embodiments. Some species of the remote control can act as web browsers, appliance control, TIVO function control, an IP telephony telephone, a cellular telephone and/or an MP3 player. In some embodiments, the gateway and/or headend can implement TIVO-like functions under control from a wireless remote of custom design or implemented on a Personal Digital Assistant.

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application entitled HEADEND MULTIPLEXER TO SELECT AND TRANSMIT VIDEO-ON-DEMAND AND OTHERREQUESTED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, filed Jun. 23, 2000, Ser. No.09/602,512 which was a continuation-in-part of a U.S. patent applicationentitled HOME NETWORK FOR ORDERING AND DELIVERY OF VIDEO ON DEMAND,TELEPHONE AND OTHER DIGITAL SERVICES, filed Jan. 14, 2000, Ser. No.09/483,681, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This application discloses gateways and settop decoders for use in homenetworks as well as the home network itself and an intelligent remotecontrol.

The introduction of cable modems and broadband services to cabletelevision systems has given rise to the development of home gatewaysystems. These systems couple the digital and analog cable televisionhybrid fiber coax cables to telephones, computers, FAX machines, settopbox TV adapters, digital VCRs, cameras etc. for bidirectional digitalcommunication with the headend and receiving conventional analogdownstream broadcasts. These systems can implement video on demand,broadband Internet access, monitoring at the headed of security cameravideo taken in customer homes, interactive games resident on a server atthe headend and a host of other applications.

Personal digital assistants and handheld computers (hereafter PDAs) thatcan display video exist. However, to the applicant's knowledge, no PDAhas the application software and communication circuitry and driversneeded to communicate with a gateway and act as a remote control tocontrol analog and digital equipment at a customer premises. Further, noPDA exists which can act as a remote control to control headendprocessing relevant to the customer premises where the remote is locatedsuch as ordering video-on-demand selections, responding to queries,sending and receiving e-mail through a mail server at the headend,browsing the internet by sending URL and other commands to a web serverat the headend and displaying the retrieved web pages, interacting withgame servers at the headend, etc.

Further, no remote control that is not a modified PDA exists with adisplay that can display television or other images. In particular, noremote control, whether based on a PDA or not, exists that can byissuing commands through a cable modem and gateway at a customerpremises, monitor one video channel while watching another.

With the advent of digital broadcast television systems such as DirecTVand Dish Network and cable TV and ADSL systems delivering digital data,a need for gateway circuits that can interface these different mediumsto various peripherals that use the data has arisen. The UltimateTVpersonal digital data “pseudo video tape recorder” is one limited typeof gateway that has recently become commercially available to interfacea satellite dish and a telephone line to a wireless remote control and atelevision. The applicants do not admit the UltimateTV gateway is priorart since the applicant's invention of the same concept dates back atleast to the summer of 2000. The UltimateTV gateway however does nothave the ability to also interface an HFC or DSL network to peripheralseither directly connected to the gateway through USB or Firewire or SCSIbuses or indirectly connected through one or more local area networks.

The introduction of the TIVO personal digital video recorder has createda whole new market. However the TIVO has several disadvantages. The TIVOuses infrared commands to an infrared transducer affixed to an externaldigital video broadcast receiver to change the channels thereof inresponse to channel selection commands entered by a TIVO remote control.The satellite receiver is external to the TIVO system, and has its ownremote control. The TIVO prior art system gets confused and oftenrecords no signal at all when an uninitiated family member such as achild changes the channel on the separate digital TV satellite receiverusing that receiver's remote control instead of the TIVO controller.This confuses the TIVO prior art system because, if the channel ischanged without using the TIVO controller, the TIVO system does not knowto which channel the dish receiver is currently tuned. Strangely, theTIVO prior art system tunes an external digital video satellite receiverby sending it infrared “diferential” commands. Thus, if the TIVO knowsthe receiver is tuned to channel 100 and the TIVO wants to record aprogram on channel 125, the TIVO will issue a command to increase thechannel number by 25 either by giving 25 channel up commands or bygiving a command to increase the channel number by 25 instead of simplygiving a command “change to channel 125”. This is a serious drawback ifsmall children or TIVO-challenged people are using the TV. Further,because the satellite receiver is external to the TIVO, it must be kepton at all times because the TIVO cannot turn it on and off when neededto record programs. In energy starved states like California, this is aproblem.

Recently, the UltimateTV personal digital video recorder was introducedby Microsoft that solves the “on all the time” and channel confusionproblems of TIVO. This unit may not be prior art to the gateway andheadend cherrypicker that implement TIVO functions inventions disclosedherein because of an earlier conception date. Further, having the TIVOfunctions done in a gateway or a headend is different than having themdone in a separate digital video recorder, and it saves customers moneyby only needing to pay for the service and not buy an entire TIVO unitand subscription to the program data.

A need has therefore arisen for a wireless remote control which can,through a cable modem and gateway and settop box, issue commands to aheadend to allow the remote to monitor one video channel while watchinganother on a TV. There is also a need for an intelligent remote that canchange video channel selections for the TV or remote by issuing commandsto the headend. There is also a need for an intelligent remote controlthat can issue commands to a headend to order video-on-demand programs.There is also a need for a wireless remote that can issue commands to aheadend to browse the internet through a headend web server and displaytext and graphics or web pages or e-mail on the remote display or on atelevision coupled to a gateway in communication with the remote. Thereis also a need for an intelligent remote that can issue commands to agateway or headend to control the gateway or headend to carry outTIVO-like functions for the customer. There is also a need for a gatewaythat can implement TIVO like functions as well as interface peripheralsto various types of broadband digital data delivery transmission mediumsand headend circuitry providing digital data delivery services. There isalso a need for a headend cherrypicker that can be controlled by awireless remote control which can implement TIVO like recordingfunctions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The genus of the invention is defined by a group of species comprised ofsystems that can work with an intelligent remote control to controlservices provided to a customer through headend servers and otherequipment in a bidirectional digital data delivery system implementedover some transmission medium. In this class of systems, thetransmission medium may be a CATV HFC network or any other bidirectionaldigital data communication medium between a gateway at the customerpremises and a headend. Other mediums the systems of the invention maybe built around are DSL lines or bidirectional digital satelliteservices.

A subgenus within the genus of the invention is a class of intelligentremote controls with a display which can issue commands to the headendin a bidirectional digital data communication system to do one or moreof the following function:

-   (1) monitor one video channel while watching another on a TV;-   (2) change video channel selections for the TV or remote;-   (3) order video-on-demand programs;-   (4) control the headend to browse the internet through a headend web    server and display text and graphics of web pages or e-mail on the    remote display;-   (5) control local peripherals coupled to a customer premises gateway    either directly by RF or infrared link to the peripheral or through    commands issued to the gateway from the remote via a settop box with    suitable RF or infrared transceiver circuitry;-   (6) control the headend to carry out TIVO-like functions for the    customer; and/or-   (7) and control any other servers or other circuitry at the headend    to enjoy services provided to the customer from the headend.

In addition, in some embodiments within the intelligent remote controlgenus, a PDA serves as the platform on which the intelligent remotecontrol application runs and additional software applications can beadded to the PDA for calendar, contacts or phone book, etc. In addition,the PDA may have a PCMCIA port into which PC cards to provide expansionmemory and/or other expansion functions such as wireless modems forwireless e-mail and investing functions, cellular phone calls, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of generic species of system using anintelligent remote control that can exercise and control servicesprovided by headend equipement to a customer premises in which theremote is used.

The broadest concept of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2 whichteaches a remote control without a display that can issue wirelesscommands to a headend to invoke services provided thereby through one ormore servers that provide the requested service.

FIG. 3 discloses limited use customer premises system utilizing awireless remote control that controls a specialized TIVO-like gatewaythat interfaces a television to a satellite dish to receive digitizedvideo broadcasts or video-on-demand data from a digital video headendelsewhere and interfaces the television and wireless keyboard remote tothe public service telephone network for bidirectional IP packet datatransfers to and from the internet via an internet server at the centraloffice.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system that uses a satellite link forunidirectional downstream digital video transmissions and uses a gatewaycoupled to a hybrid fiber coaxial network of a cable television systemfor provision of bidirectional high speed internet access and otherbroadband services.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment for a gateway 10 in FIGS. 1and 4 which have the ability to implement TIVO functions as well asinterface the peripherals coupled to the gateway to two differentbroadband digital data delivery systems, specifically, digital videodata broadcast systems and high bandwidth digital data servicesdelivered over and HFC cable plant.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a more generalized architecuture for acable headend, central office or satellite uplink facility to deliveriData and VOD and/or broadcast video data to customers via HFC, DSL orsatellite and which can perform TIVO functions for each customer usingdisk storage at the headend.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a more generalized architecuture for acable headend, central office or satellite uplink facility, representedby cloud 292.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an advanced home gateway with built in TIVOvideo server, multiple broadband interface capability, multiple LANinterface capability and built in email, web server, answering machine,voicemail and PBX functionality.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a wireless remote control implemented on apersonal digital assistant (PDA) having wireless capabilities. Theremote control of FIG. 9 can do all regular PDA functions it isprogrammed to do such as calendar and appointments, word processing,database and address book functions. However, in addition, it has awireless RF transceiver module 380 that plugs into the PDA's PCMCIA orHandspring Visor Springboard slot by which commands and data can beexchanged with the transceiver of a home gateway or some settop decoderwith a transceiver on a LAN coupled to the gateway.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED AND ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of generic species of system using anintelligent remote control that can exercise and control servicesprovided by headend equipment to a customer premises in which the remoteis used. The invention contemplates a genus of systems all species ofwhich share the following common characteristics: all species include aremote control with display which is capable of sending commands to theheadend through a gateway at the customer premises to exercise andcontrol customer services provided by a headend. Such systems includethe following components.

First, there must be an individual, wireless remote control 30.

Second, there must be a suitable home gateway 10 that includes a routerwith multiple ports for coupling to multiple LANs or directly tomultiple peripherals or via multiple individual LAN segments, eachcoupled to a peripheral. The gateway must be one which can interface tothe remote control, the one or more local area networks coupled to theperipherals to be serviced from the headend and one or more of the typesof high bandwidth transmission medium 14. The broadband transmissionmedium 14 can be satellite, hybrid fiber coaxial cable, XDSL or wirelesslocal loop or some combination of these different types of mediums. Thegateway must be able to do the appropriate routing and any neededprotocol conversions to get the data transmitted over whatever data paththe router sets up.

There will also be one or more local area networks 28 and/or individualLAN segments acting as dedicated lines from gateway 10 to eachperipheral. The LAN(s) or individual LAN segments/dedicated lines couplethe gateway's router to peripherals that exercise or utilize thecustomer services provided by the headend. Typically, there is one fastLAN and one slower LAN, but any type of physical medium in anyconfiguration and any protocol including wireless LAN technology andLANs that use the power lines, phone lines, existing CATV coax, orcustom installed wires may be used. Each port of the router can becoupled to a LAN which can be expanded by addition of repeaters, bridgesor switches. The choice of LAN technology should be made based upon theanticipated traffic load since streaming video is a high bandwidthproposition even when compressed. The LAN configuration should also beestablished so that the various peripherals coupled to the router in thegateway can talk to each other over the LAN or LANs or individual LANsegments or dedicated lines. Gateway 21 at customer premises #2illustrates a gateway with a router 23 with multiple ports coupled to afirst LAN configuration 25 and individual LAN segments 27, 29 and 31coupled to peripherals. Gateway 21 also has a third LAN implemented onthe existing CATV coaxial cable wiring in the home. Coax segment 35couples the router 23 to a splitter 37. The splitter is coupled to aplurality of peripherals 39, 41, 43 via individual coaxial cablesegments 45, 47 and 49. The individual peripherals can talk to eachother through the router 23 or via the leakage path between splitterports. This use of existing CATV wiring as a LAN is covered in theclaims one one incarnation of the limitation “local are network”. Insome embodiments using existing CATV wiring as the LAN, frequencydivision multiplexing is used wherein existing analog CATV broadcastsare transmitted on the coax in one frequency band and digital data iscommunicated over the coaxial cable acting as a LAN on one or more RFcarriers in a different band that does not interfere with the CATVanalog signal carriers. Gateway 21 also has a rate shaping circuit 33.

There will also be one or more suitable type headend(s) 12 that caninterface to the one or more broadband transmission medium(s) 14 in useand which includes or is coupled to one or more servers or othercircuits which provide the customer services to the peripherals. Theheadend(s) are controlled by the remote controls at the customerpremises.

Signals to be transmitted over shared hybrid fiber coaxial cablenetworks or local area networks at the customer premises to decodingcircuits or other destination circuits may consume more bandwidth thanis available. This is because the total available bandwidth on HFC isshared between all customers on the same network, so in times of highdemand, not every customer gets all the bandwidth needed. However, videois a very high bandwidth application, so conflicts between bandwidthneeded and bandwidth available can arise in HFC. Likewise, bandwidth onDSL lines is limited also, but it is not limited from sharing. It islimited from the limitations of twisted pair transmission mediums.Likewise, satellite uplinks and downlinks are shared among large numbersof customers, so bandwidth availability is an issue. There exists in theprior art bandwidth modification circuitry which can alter the consumedbandwidth so as to fit the available bandwidth of the channel or mediumon which data is to be transmitted. Bandwidth alteration processing canbe accomplished in commercially available integrated circuits designedby Imedia and available from the assignee of the present invention.

To help avoid bottlenecks and congestion on transmission medium 14,headend 12 may include optional rate shaping circuitry, symbolized bydashed box 15, to adjust the data rate of data transmitted to thegateways 10 or received from the gateways to help alleviate bottleneckson transmission medium 14. In some embodiments, all of the gateways andcherrypickers disclosed in the various embodiments disclosed hereininclude, where necessary, rate shaping circuitry or bandwidth modifiersto programmably after the data rate and bandwidth consumed by variousdata transmissions. In other embodiments, there will be rate shapingcircuitry only in the gateways or only in the headend. In otherembodiments where the bandwidth of transmission medium 14 is large suchas in fiber-to-the-curb systems, rate shaping circuitry may possibly beomitted altogether. The rate shaping circuitry is managed to give thebest quality of video for the available bandwidth. All the gateways andcherrypickers disclosed herein also, where necessary, include circuitryto manage overflow or underflow of buffers in the circuits to which datais being transmitted over the LAN or hybrid fiber coaxial cable network.

Gateway 10, in some embodiments, incorporates a hard disk to recorddigital video data or other data received via the medium or mediums 14by which the gateway is coupled to one or more headend servers. Further,gateway 10, in some embodiments, contains suitable interface circuitryto interface to more than one type of transmission medium coupling it toheadend servers. For example, medium 14 may include a satellite dishand/or an HFC network and/or a DSL line and/or a conventional terrestialtelevision antenna. Therefore, in various embodiments, gateway 10 mayinclude: circuitry that implements the functions of a digital broadcasttelevision receiver such as a DirecTV or Dish network receiver; a cablemodem or DOCSIS cable modem; and/or a DSL modem; a LAN interface, apersonal video recording hard disk and control circuitry to implementTIVO functions and rate shaping circuitry 11 to change the data rate ofdata transmitted to or received from headend 12 over transmission medium14. Rate shaping circuitry 11 also functions to rate shape (alter thedata rate and bandwidth consumed) video data received from the headend12 or from the hard disk of a TIVO system embedded in gateway 10 toalter the data rate to match the transmission capabilities of LAN 28.The structure and operation of rate shaping circuitry is well known andchips to do it have been designed by Imedia, inc., formerly of SanFrancisco, Calif., and are now in public use by the assignee of thepresent invention. Rate shaping circuitry, circuitry to transmitvariable bit rate compressed video data and auxiliary data at a constantbit rate, circuitry to minimize data rate fluctuations in formingmultiplexes of multiple MPEG video streams, circuitry to providevideo-on-demand to multiple subscribers simultaneously, circuitry tomultiplex multiple MPEG encoded video channels onto one data channelmore efficiently, circuitry to playback compressed video is described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,956,088 and 5,877,812 and 5,966,120 and 5,926,205 and5,949,948 and 5,862,140, all of which are hereby incorporated byreference. This circuitry may be employed in the gateway and/or headendcircuitry as necessary depending upon the choices for the LANtechnologies at the customer premises and/or the high bandwidthtransmission medium(s) 14.

Likewise, gateway 10 can include a conventional modem, represented byblock 13, to interface the gateway to the public service telephonenetwork (hereafter PSTN) to do such functions as downloading programguide data to implement TIVO functions in gateway 10.

The particular embodiment of FIG. 1 implements the system invention andthe remote control invention, but the particular home gateway can be anyexisting gateway. Home gateways that can be used as gateway 10 aredisclosed in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/483,681, filed Jan.14, 2000, entitled HOME NETWORK FOR ORDERING AND DELIVERY OF VIDEO ONDEMAND, TELEPHONE AND OTHER DIGITAL SERVICES, which is herebyincorporated by reference. This patent application disclosesconventional ADSL gateways, conventional HFC gateways and a uniquegateway that interfaces a plurality of different types of computingdevices and television type equipment to hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC)cable broadband services, satellite dishes or terrestial broadcastantennas.

Gateway 10 has an RF or infrared transceiver 32 therein to send andreceive data to/from remote 30 in customer premises #1. The gateway 10also has an internal router and tuner and demodulation and detectorcircuitry suitable for the type of digital data transmissions from theheadend that are being received. When the remote 30 issues commands torequest services from the headend, the resulting digital datatransmitted by the headend 12 to gateway 10 arrives on a particularlogical channel. A logical channel will be a particular frequency RFcarrier and a particular multiplexed logical channel thereon such as aparticular timeslot or one or more particular spreading codes. The dataon this particular logical channel will be transmitted for use on aparticular peripheral coupled to LAN 28. For example, the remote control30 might be used to order a particular video-on-demand movie to bedisplayed on television 34. This command will be received by gateway 10and transferred to headend 12. The headend sends a suitable command tothe video-on-demand servers 18 requesting the data of the requestedmovie. The data is provided and is transmitted by the headend on aparticular logical channel on transmission medium 14 to gateway 10. Thedata of the movies is compressed and may be encapsulated into ATM cellsor sent via DOCSIS MPEG packets or using any other suitable transportprotocol that can provide the bandwidth, reliability, packet sequencing,error correction and other class of service factors needed for videodata transmission. A downstream message is then sent to the gateway 10telling it upon which logical channel it will be receiving particularrequested data.

Gateway 10 then tunes to that RF carrier, demodulates and detects thedata on the designated logical channel on that carrier, packetizes thedata into Ethernet or other LAN packets depending upon the LAN 28protocol, and addresses the packets to the LAN and IP address of settopadapter circuit 36. The adapter 36 then receives the packets and buffersthem in a buffer big enough to take out network latency, bandwidthlimitations and jitter, decompresses the data and generates audio andvideo signals from the digital data for output to TV 34. Similarprocessing occurs for digital data requested by the other peripherals orthe remote 30. Typical peripherals in a customer premises that thegateway couples to the headend circuitry that service them are: digitalVCR 38, home computer 40, digital FAX 42, network computer 44, digitalsecurity video camera 46 and digital telephone or videophone 48.

In some embodiments, TV 34 and settop decoder 36 may have a private LANto the gateway to get around bandwidth limitations and high traffic onLAN 28 that does not leave enough bandwidth for the video.

In some embodiments, gateway 12 has intelligent hub management softwarethat monitors traffic conditions and does whatever management and rateshaping is necessary to most efficiently use the LAN resources 28 andbroadband resources 14 that are available.

In some embodiments, the gateway 12 and settop decoder/adapter 36 can becombined into one unit that the TV 34 just plugs into. Likewise, thegateway may have individual output ports that each peripheral plugs intowith signals formatted properly at each port for the type of peripheralthat plugs into it. For example, instead of having digital telephonecoupled to LAN 48, a standard telephone may be plugged into gateway 12with the gateway including all the necessary circuitry to convert thesignalling protocols and audio signal physical layer format of standardtelephones to voice over IP or voice over DOCSIS service.

The system of FIG. 1 comprises any headend circuitry 12 which isappropriate to the type of transmission medium 14 in use and the type ofservers and circuitry that provide the customer services. Thetransmission medium can be HFC, any type of digital subscriber looplines (DSL) or standard PSTN telephone tip and ring lines orbidirectional satellite services such as Starband™ or the new version ofDirecPC™ now in beta test or some combination of the two such asDirecTV™/DirecPC™ satellite service for the downstream and standardtelephone line or DSL upstream. Some of these satellite services cannotsend video on demand at this time or other high bandwidth services, butthe system of the invention does not require video can be implement justbroadband internet access or other broadband, digital, non video basedservices. Accordingly transmission medium 14 may be one or more datapaths and may include different types of data paths such as CATV HFC fordownstream transmissions and different upstream medium such as DSL oranalog phone lines or satellite services for upstream transmissions.Preferably, both the upstream and downstream transmissions are carriedout on the same medium using any form of multiplexing to separateupstream from downstream and any form of multiplexing to separate datato/from different customer locations.

With regard to satellite medium, bidirectional broadband digitalservices exist or are in beta test such as Starband and the successor toDirecPC, and unidirectional video broadcast services such as DishNetwork and DirecTV exist but no bidirectional video-on-demand servicesyet exist as far as the applicants are aware. Thus, if medium 14 issatellite, it may actually be two separate links and headend 12 may betwo separate entities, one for bidirectional broadband digital trafficand one for unidirectional, downstream only digital video broadcasting.

The headend circuitry can be connected to or contain any of a number ofdifferent services or networks. For example, the headend cherrypicker 12may be connected to one or more of the following: the internet 16 via aWAN server in the headend; one or more video on demand servers 18; apublic service telephone network interface 20; a T1 line interface 22;or any other service 24 such as MP3 or game servers, security cameravideo monitoring circuitry, etc.; and analog cable television broadcasttransmitters 26. Cherrypickers are well known and commerciallyavailable. Suitable circuitry for cherrypicker 12 is also disclosed in aU.S. patent application entitled HEAD END MULTIPLEXER TO SELECT ANDTRANSMIT VIDEO-ON-DEMAND AND OTHER REQUESTED PROGRAMS AND SERVICES, Ser.No. 09/602,512, filed Jun. 23, 2000, and another U.S. patent applicationentitled HEADEND CHERRYPICKER MULTIPLEXER WITH SWITCHED FRONT END, Ser.No. 09/667,892, filed Sep. 22, 2000, both of which are assigned to theassignee of this application and both of which are hereby incorporatedby reference. Further, each gateway disclosed herein may have an MP3 orother digital audio server built into the gateway itself or as anexpansion module for the gateway.

The headend cherrypicker 12 functions to receive commands from thegateway to order video-on-demand selections, browse the internet, dial aphone number, set up a video call or conference call, player gameinputs, requests to download MP3 selections, etc. The cherrypicker 12then carries out the appropriate actions and interlaces appropriately tothe server or circuitry necessary to carry out the command and sends theappropriate digital data or analog signal downstream on medium 14. Inthe case of the analog CATV television signals, all these signals arebroadcast on medium 14 separated by frequency division multiplexing, andgateway 10 just tunes to the appropriate channel, digitizes andcompresses the video and audio and outputs it on local area network 28.Settop box converters then decompress the digital data and convert it tocomposite video or NTSC or PAL or SECAM format analog video signals foruse by a television set.

Of course, LAN 28 may be implemented on the existing CATV wiring in thehome or business, or CAT 5 wiring or 10BaseT, 100BaseT, 10Base2, GigabitEthernet, ATM, token ring or other LAN wiring or via wireless RF orinfrared LAN systems currently available such as AirPort, etc. Ifexisting CATV wiring is used as the network, the analog CATV signaltuned by the gateway may be simply broadcast on the LAN in the frequencyband devoted to analog signals and a different frequency band is usedfor transmission of digital data implementing other services.

The function of the gateway 10 is to receive commands from theintelligent remote 30 and transmit appropriate commands and/or data tothe headend cherrypicker to implement the command or interface functionsneeded locally satisfy the command. The gateway 10 also functions toreceive digital data transmitted from the headend 12 and does allnecessary processing and routing to output digital data as packets onlocal area network 28 addressed to the correct peripheral.

In alternative embodiments, the remote 30 may issue commands and receivedata from settop decoder/adapter 36 coupled to the LAN and to television34 and having suitable transceiver circuitry to talk to the remote 30.The commands are then packetized in the settop decoder 36 and sent tothe gateway 10 via LAN 28 where they are routed to the headend 12 forimplementation.

Remote 30 can be a personal digital assistant that has been suitablyprogrammed with a remote control program 50 and which has built into itor added to it by an expansion card such as a PCMCIA card or a VisorHandspring expansion card an infrared or RF wireless transmitter 52.Preferably, the remote control 30 is a custom circuit which includes allthe necessary elements. The necessary elements of a remote according tothe invention include at least a keyboard 54 or other input device suchas a touchscreen, touchpad, mouse, joystick or other pointing device anddisplayed icons for commands or any other known way of entering inputdata into a computer, a computer 56 programmed with a remote controlapplication 50 and a memory 58 or some circuitry that carries out thefunctions of the remote control application to receive operator inputsand transmit them to the gateway 10 or settop adapter 36. In thebroadest concept of the invention, the remote control does not need tohave a display 60 and, therefore, it also does not need to have MPEG orother decompression programming or circuitry 62 nor does it need overlayprogram/circuitry 64 or frame bufter 66. Although the display, keyboard,and transceiver are shown connected directly to the CPU, in reality,they are connected to address, data and control buses driven by the CPUthrough suitable, conventional driver or interface circuitry.

The advantage of having display 60 and MPEG decompression software 62and frame buffer 66 is that the remote control can be used to previewmovies and the programs on other channels before purchasing the movie orchanging the channel to the channel being previewed. The remote control30 has its own address in the system as a separate peripheral. Thus, itcan order and have video programs or game data or internet web page ore-mail data (or any other data supplied by the headend) sent directly toit. One of the advantages of having a remote with a display then is thatthe headend circuitry can send promotional trailers for video on demandmovies, games, or other services to the remote control and can send thevideo of a channel designated by the remote to preview while the user iswatching another channel on TV 34.

The broadest concept of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 2, andcontemplates a remote control 70 without display that can issue wirelesscommands 72A to a headend 74 to invoke services provided thereby throughone or more servers 76 that provide the requested service. Commands tothe headend 74 and data sent in response thereto are transmitted througha broadband gateway or high data rate cable modem 78 in the home orthrough a settop box coupled to the high data rate gateway or cablemodem. Wireless commands 72A or 72B are transmitted to a settop decoder80 or a cable modem 78 or gateway. The settop decoder 80 is coupled to atelevision 82 by video and audio wires 84 and is coupled to the cablemodem by a local area network or USB or firewire or SCSI connectionsymbolized by bus 86. Commands 72A received from the remote are routedby the settop decoder 80 to cable modem 78 via bus 86 for routing toheadend 74. These commands cause said headend to send digital data toone or more peripheral devices coupled to the gateway or cable modern 78such as settop decoder 80 or personal computer 88 which is also coupledto bus 86. The personal computer 88 can have broadband internet accessvia cable modern 78, transmission medium 14, headend cherrypicker 74 andinternet server 90.

Remote control 70 can have any of the structures of remote 30 in FIG. 1or it can be any other structure that can perform the functionsattributed to it discussed herein.

Remote 70 does not have a display or MPEG decompression circuitry or aframe buffer or any other circuitry to process incoming compressed videodata in the preferred embodiment. In alternative embodiments, remotecontrol 70 has a display, a frame buffer and MPEG or other decompressioncircuitry or software to decompress video and/or audio data and convertit to an analog signal format or digital data in a format that can bedisplayed. In other alternative embodiments, the remote also includes anoptional speaker and/or earphone output jack represented by block 94 forplaying decompressed audio data that has been converted to an analogsound signal. Of course suitable circuitry (not shown) to decompressaudio data and convert it to an audio signal is present if the speakerand/or earphone jack are present. In this class of alternativeembodiments, cable modem 78 or settop decoder 80 includes transceivercircuitry to transmit compressed video data to the remote control of achannel to be monitored on the display of the remote control or internetprotocol (hereafter IP) packet data to be displayed. The compressedvideo data is then decompressed and either displayed on the display orconverted to a proper signal or digital format for display and displayedon the display of the remote. IP digital data from internet server 90such as web pages, streaming video etc. can be transmitted in eithercompressed or uncompressed format from the settop decoder 80 or cablemodem 78 and displayed on optional display 92, and upstream data such ase-mail messages, URL addresses are sent from the remote's transceiver tothe transceiver in the settop decoder 80 or cable modem 78.

In some embodiments, the cable modem 78 and settop decoder 80 can becombined into one unit that the TV 82 just plugs into.

Cable modems with LAN outputs or other type bus outputs are commerciallyavailable, and suitable settop decoders are disclosed in the parentapplication.

FIG. 3 disposes limited use customer premises system utilizing awireless remote control that controls a specialized TIVO-like gatewaythat interfaces a television to a satellite dish to receive digitizedvideo broadcasts or video-on-demand data from a digital video headendelsewhere and interfaces the television and wireless keyboard remote tothe public service telephone network for bidirectional IP packet datatransfers to and from the internet via an internet server at the centraloffice. The system of FIG. 3 uses a remote control 100 in the form of awireless keyboard or other infrared or radio frequency wireless remotecontrol which allows e-mail data to be typed and URL addresses to beentered. The remote control 100 includes at least an infrared or RFtransmitter to transmit data entered by the user to the specializedgateway 102. The gateway 102 is somewhat like a TIVO™ recorder, but,unlike the TIVO, gateway 102 incorporates a digital TV satellitereceiver 106 in it. This digital TV satellite receiver can be any knowndesign such as the receivers used in the DirecTV™ or Dish Network™digital television broadcast services or any equivalent circuit.Receiver 106 has an input that can be coupled to a small satellite dish104 through which downstream compressed digital video broadcasts arereceived. The receiver functions to demodulate and detect the compresseddigital video and audio data broadcast on each logical channel by thesatellite system digital video headend 108 along with channel andprogram descriptor auxiliary data. One difference of the incorporatedreceiver 106 over the prior art DirecTV receivers etc. is that the priorart receivers contain circuitry to decompress the compressed digitalvideo and audio data and convert it to analog video and audio signalsbut receiver 106 does not. These functions still need to be performed,but they are split out and performed in video decompression andconversion circuit 110 which is coupled to the receiver 106 andconventional modem 130 and transceiver 128 through a router or crossbarswitching circuit 112. The reason for this is that gateway 102 includesa hard disk 114 which is used to record compressed digital video andaudio data to perform TIVO or UltimateTV™ functions, as describedfurther below. To conserve hard disk space, the data output fromreceiver 106 on bus 110 is left in the compressed state so thatoperating system 116 and CPU 118 can order switching circuit 112 tocouple the output 120 of the receiver 106 to the input 122 of the harddisk 114 when a program is to be recorded. In this manner, incomingdigital video data can be recorded on hard disk 114 in compressed form.If the digital video data is to be simply viewed and not recorded,operating system 116 controls CPU 118 to control switch 112 to coupleoutput 120 of the receiver 106 to the input 124 of the decompression andconversion circuit 110. Circuit 110 then decodes the MPEG digital videobroadcast packets to generate uncompressed YUV digital video data whichis then converted in a video encoder (not shown) in circuit 110 to ananalog NTSC, PAL or SECAM output video signal on line 126 for couplingto the video input of TV 82. Compressed audio is decompressed andconverted in an audio processor (not shown) in circuit 110 to an analogaudio signal for coupling to the audio input of TV 82.

Operating system 116 cooperates with the remote control 100 to receivecommands to implement TIVO-like functions using the same programming asis used in the TIVO in addition to the other programming needed to dothe other functions of the gateway and control switch 112.

These TIVO functions include any one or more of the following functions.Recording one or more video programs the user has specifically asked torecord including timed recording and simultaneous recording. Timedrecording allows recording in the future of specifically named programsusing program guide data to identify the time and channel and duration.Timed recording also includes automatic recording at specified times onspecified channels on specified days entered via remote control 100.Simultaneous recording allows the gateway to record two or more videoprograms simultaneously even if they are on separate logical channels(or different frequency carriers if two tuners or satellite receivers106 are present) or to record one video program while simultaneouslywatching another program.

Another TIVO function is indexing downloaded program guide data toorganize it into categories such as sports, movies, documentaries, etc.and to display a menu from which programs can be picked to record. Themenu allows searching by name so that the user can spell out a word onher remote control that is likely to appear in the name and all theprograms with that word in the title will be displayed and can beselected for recording. The menu also allows browsing by time andbrowsing by channel to pick programs to record. The menu also displays acategory called “suggestions” which are shows the operating systemthinks the user would want to record based upon learned characteristicsof the user's viewing preferences. Shows from the suggestion list orfrom the search list or browsing lists can be selected for recording bya just selecting recording from a menu of actions such that “one touch”recording is implemented once that particular menu is reached. There isno need to define the day, week, channel and start and stop timesthereby greatly simplifying the process.

Another TIVO function is pausing, rewinding, fast forwarding and playinglive TV programs in slow motion or normal speed. Another TIVO functionis instant replay that jumps the program you are watching back in timeby 8 seconds each time the wireless remote control instant replay buttonis pressed, and a slow motion command can be given when an instantreplay is being played to do the instant replay in slow motion.

Another TIVO function is to present a program banner at the time of thescreen each time a channel change is made to display overlay data thatidentifies the program, channel and start and stop times of a program incase channel surfing is being performed.

Another TIVO function is providing the ability to record a program andany one of a plurality of selected quality or resolution levels. This isuseful for watching sports at higher resolution than movies.

Another TIVO function is receiving and recording user preferencecommands for automatic recording when they are watching programs. Inother words, if a user is watching either a live or prerecorded programand finds it interesting, a “thumbs up” command can be given one, two orthree times to indicate the level of interest in this type of program.Another TIVO function is receiving and recording ”thumbs down” commandsfor live or prerecorded shows the user finds not interesting. These“thumbs up” and “thumbs down” commands received from the user's remoteallow the gateway or headend cherrypicker implementing the TIVOfunctions to do automatic suggestion of programs that the operatingsystem thinks the user would like to record based upon learned patternsof viewing by this user based upon past recordings and user preferencesas indicated by previous “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” commands given.These suggested programs are listed in the order of closeness to theperceived pattern of user preferences learned by the operating system.Any program on the suggestion list may be easily set up for recording byusing wireless remote 100 in FIG. 3 to pick a “record this showing” menucommand from a menu displayed on TV 82.

Another TIVO function is freeze frame and slow motion playback ofrecorded programs and high speed fast forwarding at one of multipleselected speeds to wind through commercials or other segments the userdoes not wish to watch.

Another TIVO function is the “season pass” wherein each time an episodeof a specifically named program is broadcast on any channel on anymedium to which the gateway is connected, the program is recorded.

Another TIVO function is a menu of the best programs and networkshowcases programs that will be broadcast in the next few days by thebroadcast networks and a menu that allows quick setup for recordingthese shows.

Another TIVO function is the ability to configure the system to downloadprogram data for only the channels to which a user has subscribed.

Another TIVO function is displaying of a menu of programs that have beenrecorded and providing a menu to issue commands to play a program,delete it, save it until a specific date or save it until it isspecifically deleted by the user.

Another TIVO function is to save the place where a user stopped viewinga program when the user stops watching a prerecorded program. The nexttime the user resumes watching that particular program, play starts fromwhere she left off.

Another TIVO function is automatic downloading of program guide data viaconventional modem 130 so the operating system knows what programs willbe broadcast when on each logical channel on each medium to which thegateway is connected.

Another TIVO function is pausing live TV for a bathroom break, a phonecall, etc. so that the program can be recorded and watched virtuallysimultaneously off the data recorded on the hard disk.

Another TIVO function is to display program guide data downloaded from aprogram guide server via modem 130 on said television 82.

A TIVO function that is not implemented is outputting of infraredcommands to an infrared transducer affixed to an external digital videobroadcast receiver to change the channels thereof in response to channelselection commands entered by remote control 100. This is a significantadvantage because the TIVO prior art system gets confused and oftenrecords no signal at all when an uninitiated family member such as achild changes the channel on the separate digital TV satellite receiverusing that receiver's remote control instead of the TIVO controller.This confuses the TIVO prior art system since if the channel is changedwithout using the TIVO controller, the TIVO system does not know towhich channel the dish receiver is currently tuned. Strangely, the TIVOprior art system tunes an external digital video satellite receiver bysending it infrared “differential” commands. Thus, if the TIVO knows thereceiver is tuned to channel 100 and the TIVO wants to record a programon channel 125, the TIVO will issue a command to increase the channelnumber by 25 either by giving 25 channel up commands or by giving acommand to increase the channel number by 25 instead of simply giving acommand “change to channel 125”. This is a serious drawback if smallchildren or TIVO-challenged people are using the TV.

Instead, operating system 116 receives wireless channel change commandsfrom remote control 100 and sends control signals to receiver 106 tocause it to tune to the selected channel. Computer 118 is coupled to allcircuits in the gateway 102 to control them via data, address andcontrol lines (not shown) under the control of operating system 116.

The remote control 100 includes buttons, keys or displayed icons thatcan be invoked to control the gateway to implement each one of thesefunctions. The operating system can implement all the other TIVOfunctions also as well as control the gateway to use the remote controland TV as a computer to browse the internet. This collection of TIVOfunctions is referred to in the claims as TIVO functions.

Decompression and conversion circuit 110 also serves to receiveuncompressed data in IP packets from modem 130 and remote control 100through receiver or transceiver 128 and convert it to NTSC, PAL or SECAMvideo (and possibly analog audio) signals for display on television 82.This allows the remote control, gateway and modem and TV to function asa personal computer and modem combination to view web pages, search theinternet and send and receive e-mail without actually needing acomputer.

Receiver 106 has the ability to tune and demultiplex two separatelogical channels simultaneously in some embodiments. Typically, thiswill be done by filtering out all MPEG packets having two separateprogram descriptors (PID) and providing these MPEG packets to switchingcircuit 112. The packets for the two different PIDs can be sent todifferent places. For example, all the filtered out packets can be sentvia switch 112 to operating system 116 which has previously receivedcommands from remote 100 to view the program identified by a first PIDon TV 82 and to record a program identified by a second PID on hard disk114. The operating system will then transmit all packets containing thefirst PID to switch 112 and control switch 112 to route those packets todecompression and conversion circuit 110. The operating system then maysimultaneously or later output the packets containing the second PID toswitch 112 and control switch 112 to route these packets to hard disk114 for recording. Likewise, one program's packets can be routed todecompression and conversion circuit 110 for viewing on TV 82 andanother program's packets can be routed to remote control 100 formonitoring on an optional display therein. Remote control 100 may haveany of the structures of remote control 70 in FIG. 2 or simply be akeyboard coupled, in some embodiments, to packetization circuitry topacketize the commands into IP packets, and an infrared or RFtransmitter.

In alternative embodiments, the switch 112 will have routingcapabilities based upon routing tables built therein by the operatingsystem 116 based upon command received from remote 100. The router willthen look at the PIDs in all incoming packets from receiver 106 androute them according to the data in its routing tables therebyeliminating the intermediate step of sending all packets to theoperating system 116 and the need for the operating system 116 to bufferthese packets while waiting to retransmit them.

Commands from remote control 100 are received by transceiver (if theremote has a display) or receiver (if the remote has no display) 128 andare coupled to switch 112 where they are routed automatically to theoperating system. In alternative embodiments, the transceiver 128 may becoupled to switch 112 through local area network 86. In other words, thetransceiver may have a network interface circuit and be out somewhere onthe home network LAN 86. The transceiver then receives wireless commandsfrom the remote control and those commands are packetized into LANpackets and routed or sent to NIC 164 which then routes them to switch112 for routing to the appropriate destination such as operating system116. Data to be sent to the remote is routed to NIC 164 and then sentover LAN 86 to the transceiver where it is transmitted wirelessly to theremote. The LAN may be any type of layer 1 and layer 2 protocol run overany existing wiring in the home or over LAN wires that have been added.For example, the LAN may be run on CAT 5 wiring, the existing CATV coaxin the home, over the house's power lines or phone lines or by anyconventional RF or infrared wireless LAN technology such as Blue Tooth(short distance, low power) or 802.11 (larger distances for officeenvironments), etc. LAN technologies are commercially available frommany sources including some of the newer technologies with proprietaryprotocols at layer 1 and 2 available from Inari, Itran and Itellon. NIC164 and the NIC of the transceiver will be whatever is needed for thetype of medium and protocols in use. In the claims, limitationsregarding receivers or transceivers coupled to the switch forcommunicating with a wireless remote or words to that effect areintended to cover these embodiments where the transceiver is coupled toswitch 112 via LAN 86.

The operating system then analyzes each command and outputs a suitablyformatted command to switch 112 and controls switch 112 to route thecommand to the appropriate circuit. In some embodiments, operatingsystem 116 may packetize commands to be sent to the internet such asrequests to download web pages or send or receive e-mail as IP packetsaddressed to the appropriate IP address. In other embodiments, theremote control itself packetizes internet commands into IP packets.Wherever these internet commands get packetized, they are routed byswitch 112 to a conventional PSTN modem 130 where they are transmittedover a PSTN subscriber loop 132 to a central office internet server 134.There, they are launched on a route to the appropriate server on theintemet. The central office also includes a program guide server todownload program guide data to gateways on a regular basis for storagetherein so that each gateway knows which programs are going to bebroadcast when on each logical channel of each medium to which thegateway is connected.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a system that uses a satellite linkfor unidirectional downstream digital video transmissions and uses agateway coupled to a hybrid fiber coaxial network of a cable televisionsystem for provision of bidirectional high speed internet access andother broadband services. The fundamental notion of the system speciesof FIG. 4 is that broadband, digital video links via DirecTV and Dishnetwork already exist and work well so there is no point in using upvaluable bandwidth on the HFC network for digital video transmissionswhen that bandwidth can be used to provide high speed internet accessand other broadband services such as centralized security cameramonitoring of customer premises from the headend, interactive gameplaying with a game server at the headend, audio-on-demand from an MP3or other digital audio server at the headend, etc.

The system uses a home gateway 10 which is coupled by a local areanetwork 86 to one or more peripherals. These peripherals include apersonal computer 88, a settop decoder 80 coupled to a TV 82 by analogaudio and video signal lines 84, and a digital video security camera 46.The gateway 10 is also connected to a digital video headend video server108 via a satellite uplink and downlink and a satellite dish 104. Thegateway 10 incorporates tuner, demultiplexer and authorization circuitryfrom conventional digital video satellite receivers therein, but thedecompression circuitry to decode the MPEG or other compression to YUVformat digital data and conversion circuitry to convert the YUV formatand other audio and/or auxiliary digital data of digital TV broadcastprogram to analog NTSC, PAL or SECAM video signals is placed in thesettop decoder 80. This allows the network 86 to carry only compresseddigital video data in packets. Settop decoder 80 also includes a networkinterface card (NIC) to pluck LAN packets off network 86 addressed toit. The personal computer and security camera 46 also include NICs tosend and receive packetized LAN data addressed to each device over LAN86 with the gateway 10.

Optionally, if pay-per-view events are to be requested, gateway 10includes a conventional modem to transmit data to digital video headend108 over the PSTN 142. These commands are entered wirelessly via remotecontrol 70 via RF or infrared transmission circuitry in the remote andgateway. The remote control, in the preferred embodiment, includes adisplay 92 and audio transducers and/or earphone lacks 94, but in morebasic embodiments, does not. Commands from the remote 70 may also berouted to the digital video headend 108 via the HFC 144, headendcherrypicker 74 and a PSTN interface 146 in the form of a conventionalmodem which is internal or external to the cherrypicker 74. Thecherrypicker can be any conventional cherrypicker or the cherrypickersdisclosed in the patent applications incorporated by reference herein.

The cherrypicker is coupled to a video server 76, an internet server 90,a game server 148, a security camera server 150 coupled to a pluralityof security monitors 152 and an MP3 or other digital audio server 154 toprovide audio-on-demand services. The cherrypicker 74 functions toreceive commands from the remote control 70 or other command console orpersonal computer coupled to gateway 10. The cherrypicker responds tothese commands by issuing the proper commands to the proper server tocause transfer of digital data from the server(s) to the gateway 10 andthe requesting peripheral over LAN 86 or the wireless connections 72A or72B to the remote 70.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one embodiment for a gateway 10 in FIGS. 1and 4 which have the ability to implement TIVO functions as well asinterface the peripherals coupled to the gateway to two differentbroadband digital data delivery systems, specifically, digital videodata broadcast systems and high bandwidth digital data servicesdelivered over and HFC cable plant. The gateway 10 is quite similar togateway 102 of FIG. 3 except that gateway 10 includes a cable modem 160,a rate shaping circuit 161 and a local area network network interfacecard or external bus transceiver 164. It may also, optionally, includean MP3 server 163.

The cable modem 160 can be any of the existing cable modems includingDOCSIS cable modems. In some embodiments, a DSL modem can be substitutedfor the cable modem for high bandwidth exchanges with the headend overDSL lines instead of HFC. In other embodiments, a bidirectional, highbandwidth satellite modem such as a Starband modem may be substitutedfor cable modem 160. In other embodiments, a wireless local loop modemmay be substituted. In still other embodiments, one or more of thesedifferent types of modems may be simultaneously present through amodular plug in connection to the gateway or all may be presentpermanently incorporated into the gateway circuit. All of thesedifferent combinations are referred to in the claims as a “highbandwidth digital data communication means”. All of these possibilitieswill hereafter be referred to as simply the “cable modem” even though itmight be a satellite or DSL modem or a combination of multiple highbandwidth modems and multiple high bandwidth data paths.

The cable modem 160 is coupled to switching circuit 112. This allowsincoming IP packet data or MPEG packets containing IP packets or videoand audio and auxiliary data of television programs or other services tobe routed to the correct destination circuit under control of operatingsystem 116. The control computer 118 and operating system 116 (theoperating system refers to all the computer programs needed for thevarious applications that the gateway can perform and not just the bareoperating system like Windows, MAC OS, Solara, Linux, etc. although thebare operating system is part of the computer programs referred to byblock 116). The control computer also can control the cable modem 160 toautomatically download program guide data from a source at the headendor from a source on the internet through a web server at the headend inembodiments where the conventional modem 130 is not used for thispurpose.

One new destination circuit to which the data from either the cablemodem 160 or operating system 116 or transceiver 128 or conventionalmodem 130 or decompression and conversion circuit 110 may be routed islocal area network interface card or bus transceiver 164 (hereafter NIC164). NIC 164 receives digital data in IP or MPEG packet format or anyother format and encapsulates it into LAN packets (such as Ethernetpackets) or cells (such as ATM cells) for transmission to theperipherals coupled to LAN or bus 86 or to a LAN hub or switch. The LAN86 can be one or more LANs and can be managed by an intelligent hub, aswitching hub or a dumb repeater hub, so NIC 164 will be whateverinterface is necessary for the type of LAN 86 is.

In case line 86 representa a bus, the incoming data to NIC 164 istransmitted to the peripherals using whatever bus protocol is native tobus 164. Thus, with gateway 10, a user can use the remote 70 in FIG. 4to control viewing on TV 82 of digital video broadcasts andsimultaneously use remote 70 or personal computer 88 in FIG. 4 tocontrol broadband browsing of the internet via cable modem 160 and NIC164 and/or to invoke TIVO functions. In some embodiments, conventionalmodem 130 is used only to automatically or manually download programguide data from a program guide server 162 via a conventional phone lineto support the TIVO functions gateway 10 performs in the same manner asgateway 102 in FIG. 3.

One additional function that gateway 10 can perform is to receive IP orMPEG format packet data encoding video program data or broadbandinternet access or other broadband servers received from the headendcherrypicker 74 via the high bandwidth digital data communication means.The computer 118 controls switch 112 to supply the broadband data to anydestination including the rate shaping circuit. Likewise, high bandwidthdata from any source including the rate shaping circuit 161 may berouted to the high bandwidth digital data communication means 160 fortransmission upstream. For example, received high bandwidth video datacan be routed to the decompression and conversion circuit 110 forviewing on TV 82 or to NIC 164 for transmission to a peripheral or totransceiver 128 for transmission to the remote for viewing on theremote's display. The decompression and conversion circuit strips thepayload data out of each such packet and does a reverse segmentation andreassembly process and converts the resulting data to analog video andaudio signals for output on video and audio lines 126 and 127 fordisplay on television 82. This allows such things as games being run ona headend game server to be displayed on televisions at customerpremises and allows video-on-demand or other video-based servicesprovided by a video server at the headend (e.g., 76 in FIG. 4) to beordered by the wireless remote and displayed on television 82 or sent toa computer coupled to NIC 164.

Note that when the gateway of FIG. 5 is used as gateway 10 in FIG. 4,the functions of settop decoder 80 are performed by decompression andconversion circuit 110 in FIG. 5 so the settop decoder 80 is not presentin FIG. 4 and the TV 82 plugs directly into the gateway 10.

The gateway of FIG. 5 also has a rate shaping circuit 161 which iscoupled to switch 112. This rate shaping circuit is one or moretranscoder integrated circuits and any needed support circuits. Itfunctions to receive high bandwidth data and alter the data rate tomatch the available bandwidth of the data path on which the data is tobe transmitted. The rate shaping circuitry is controlled by computer 118to alter the bandwidth of data routed through it by switch 112 to matchthe available bandwidth of whatever data path the data is to betransmitted on. This allows bottlenecks on LAN 86 or the medium 144 tothe headend to be managed by lowering the data rate of the data to betransmitted. Since the data rate of compressed video programs varieswith the amount of motion in the picture, the transcoders 161 allow thevariable data rate to be altered to match the available bandwidth of thedata path. The headend CMTS circuitry knows how much bandwidth isavailable on HFC downstream and upstream at any particular time at leastin DOCSIS cable modem systems since the headend assigns bandwidth andthe total available bandwidth on the HFC is fixed. Likewise, the gatewaycontrol computer 118 knows how much bandwidth is available on LAN 86 atany particular time since computer 118 controls the routing of data ontoLAN 86.

Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a block diagram of the preferredarchitecuture for a cable headend to perform TIVO functions for eachcustomer at the headend. The headend of FIG. 6 also delivers tocustomers internet or other non video data such as internet protocolpackets from internet servers 284 or any of the other servers to whichthe headend circuitry is connected (hereafter Data). The headend alsodelivers to the customers video-on-demand data (hereafter VOD) and/orbroadcast or “pushed” video programs (video programs from a video serverat the headend which are broadcast at regularly scheduled times)supplied by broadcast networks 280 or near video on demand video servers281 to customers via HFC 250.

The downstream and upstream path to the customers is a shared hybridfiber coax (HFC) cable plant 250. A plurality of network cherrypickermultiplexers 252 through through 262 marked NCP function, inter alia, tosend Ethernet packets to the packet switch 210 telling it which MPEGpackets transporting data for a particular desired program or serviceeach cherrypicker switch wants. Each requested packet is defined interms of an Ethernet station address. Video programs broadcast bynetworks 280 via satellite and provided by near VOD video servers 281 orvideo on demand servers in server farm 282 and data provided by otherservers in server farm 282 are in MPEG transport streams with packetsencoding a particular program or service each have a program identifieror PID that identifies that program or service. The same is true foriData encapsulated in MPEG packets in MPEG transport streams output byservers in application server farm 286 or by web servers in cloud 284.Each of these video data and iData sources outputs MPEG transportstreams having PIDs therein, and is coupled to packet switch 210 by anIP wrapper circuit such as 276, 278 or 279. The function of the IPwrapper circuits is to break the MPEG transport streams on input lines283, 285 and 287 up into individual MPEG packets and encapsulate theseMPEG packets in multicast IP packets. These IP packets are themselvesthen encapsulated by the IP wrapper circuits into Ethernet packetsaddressed to an Ethernet station address that corresponds to the PID.Every audio, video or IP data packet source can have its own uniqueEthernet station address and can be requested by the NCPs using thatEthernet station address. In alternative embodiments, every MPEGtransport stream multiplex has its own unique Ethernet station address.Each such multiplex would carry MPEG packets from a plurality ofprograms, each program having its own unique PID.

TIVO functions are implemented using hard disk array 289, packet switch210 and system control computer 244. The hard disk array receives MPEGcompressed data packets to be recorded via bus 301 output from an IPdewrapper circuit 305. The IP dewrapper 305 receives MPEG video datapackets encapsulated in IP packets which are encapsulated in Ethernetpackets on bus 307 The IP dewrapper 305 strips off the Ethernet and IPpacket headers and outputs MPEG packets on bus 301. MPEG data packetsencoding TIVO function menus and recorded video programs are output onbus 303 to IP wrapper circuit 276 where they are wrapped in IP multicastpackets and Ethernet packets having Ethernet station addressescorresponding to the PIDs of the MPEG packets output on bus 303.

Hard disk array 289 is segmented into multiple storage areas, each areadedicated to implementing TIVO functions for one subscriber. Menu datamay be stored in a common shared area. Menus to be displayed on thetelevisions at the customer premises to allow TIVO functions to beinvoked have one or more PIDs assigned to them. These menus are outputas MPEG streams on line 291 from the hard disk array to IP wrappercircuit 276. The same is true for MPEG streams encapsulating programsthat have been recorded at the customer request or live TV programs thecustomer is watching and wants to use TIVO functions on such as slowmotion, instant replay, stop, fast forward or rewind. The IP wrappercircuit encapsulates these menus, live program data and auxiliary data,and prerecorded programs into multicast IP packets. These IP packets foreach PID are then themselves encapsulated into Ethernet packetsaddressed to an Ethernet station address that corresponds to the PID.Thus, the customer can use his wireless remote at his premises torequest TIVO menus and invoke TIVO commands record programs, search forprograms, and do all the other TIVO functions.

Each NCP receives from control computer 244 information about whichprograms and or services including data for displays of menus needed toinvoke TIVO services or TIVO recorded programs customers shaverequested. These requests are made using the wireless remotes such asremote 30 in FIG. 1 and transmitted upstream from the customer gatewaysand are received via cable modem 246 in the headend 12. The requests arerouted by switch 210 to management and system control computer 244. Thecontrol computer then assigns the requested data to a particular logicalchannel and sends a downstream message via cable modem 246 to thecustomer telling that customer's gateway to which logical channel totune to receive the requested broadcast or VOD or TIVO recorded videoprogram, service data, TIVO menu, etc. The requested data is thendisplayed on a television, computer, game system etc. coupled to thegateway. The management and control computer 244 then controls switch210 to route the requests to whichever NCP has been assigned to servicethe request according to the channel assignment. The NCP then sends arequest packet to the packet switch 210 which identifies the requestedprogram, menu etc. by the corresponding Ethernet station address. Packetswitch 210 functions to receive the packets from each NCP designatingwhich Ethernet station addresses for which it wants packets sent to it.The packet switch 210 then sets up a data path and routing table orother routing circuitry in the to route packets with the designatedEthernet stations addresses out on the proper LAN segment to thecherrypicker switch that requested them. Any Ethernet packets output byIP wrapper circuits 276, 278 or 279 having the requested Ethernetstation address are then routed to the NCP that requested it.

Each NCP transmits a different MPEG transport stream encapsulated in IPpackets encapsulated in Ethernet packets in embodiments where thegateway that can receive Ethernet packets containing IP packetscontaining MPEG packets and strip off the Ethernet and IP packetheaders, repacketize them into LAN packets for whatever network iscoupled to the gateway and route them to the settop decoder of thecorrect peripheral. The settop decoders must have the capability todecompress the MPEG packets to generate video and/or audio signals. Inembodiments where the gateways are not capable of receiving data in thisformat or the downstream medium transport stream cannot handle data inthis format, an IP dewrapper circuit (not shown) is used for each NCP orshared by them all. The IP dewrapper circuit(s) function to strip offthe Ethernet and IP packet header information and sort out the differentMPEG transport streams and route them to the appropriate FDMA channeland logical channel therein of the appropriate downstream HFCtransmitter (or DSL modem or satellite uplink transmitter in otherembodiments).

The packet switch 210 sends to the cherrypicker switches only thepackets that have been requested. This is different than the prior artcherrypicker structure with splitters where each cherrypicker switchreceived MPEG stream packets from the splitters that had to be rejectedbecause they were not for programs the cherrypickers wanted. This is onefact that improves the performance and scalability of the cherrypickersystem of FIG. 6. By using packet switch 210 instead of splitters, lessprocessing time is wasted in the cherrypicker switches rejecting packetsthat will not be incorporated into the MPEG transport streams eachcherrypicker switch is generating.

The cherrypicker switches have front end processing circuitry andsoftware that the prior art cherrypicker multiplexers did not have to beable to receive LAN packets encapsulating TCP/IP packets. Thecherrypicker switches also recognize the LAN addresses and TCP/IPaddresses and use that information generated from the PIDs to sort theincoming packets into one or more MPEG transport streams going tovideo-on-demand and/or customers who have requested internet data orother data from servers coupled to the packet switch 210. Thecherrypicker switches 252 through 262 also optionally recode at leastthe VOD and/or other video program data to the proper bandwidth for thedownstream available bandwidth and repacketize the recoded data intoMPEG packets. This recoding can be done by integrated circuitscommercially available from the assignee of the present invention. Insome embodiments, the cherrypicker switches packetize the MPEG packetsinto UDP/IP packets and Ethernet packets addressed to an optionalseparate, shared IP dewrapper circuit 211. The IP dewrapper circuitstrips off the LAN and UDP/IP packet headers and reassembles each MPEGtransport stream and outputs it on bus 213 to the proper transmitter264, 266, 268, 270, 272 or 274 for downstream transmission. In otherembodiments, each NCP 252 through 262 has its own IP dewrapper circuit.In other embodiments, each NCP outputs one or more MPEG transportstreams wrapped in IP packets directly to its own transmitter(s).

Cable modem 246 sends non video data downstream and receives upstreamcommands and data from the gateway and remote control at each customerpremises. Cable modem 246 is comprised of an upstream receiver 247 and adownstream QAM modulated transmitter 249. The receiver 247 receivesupstream VOD requests and upstream iData and wireless commands to invokeTIVO functions. The cable modem transmitter 249 transmits command andcontrol messages downstream that tell each gateway on which logicalchannel to find its requested data. Cable modem transmitter 249 alsosends iData downstream to provide broadband internet access and otherservices. In other embodiments, the command and control messages and/oriData is transmitted downstream via the cherrypickers and theirassociated downstream cable modems marked 264 through 274. In someembodiments, the cable modem 246 is used also to transmit and receivevoice-over-IP packets when packet switch 210 has an interface to thePSTN.

The cable modem 246 can be any conventional cable modem design and manydifferent types are commercially available. The preferred embodiment forthe cable modem is any DOCSIS modem or the cable modem defined in EPOpatent publication 0955742 published 10 Nov. 1999 or EPO patentpublication 0858695 published 19 Aug. 1998, both of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) 276 is conventionally designedcircuitry that, for the preferred embodiment, does all the interleaving,insertion of time stamps, ranging, training, adaptation of receiveramplitude and phase correction factors from preamble data etc. needed tosupport the receiver and transmitter of the cable modem. A suitable CMTScircuit is disclosed in U.S. patent application entitled APPARATUS ANDMETHOD FOR SYNCHRONIZING AN SCDMA UPSTREAM OR ANY OTHER TYPE UPSTREAM TOAN MCNS DOWNSTREAM OR ANY OTHER TYPE DOWNSTREAM WITH A DIFFERENT CLOCKRATE THAN THE UPSTREAM published as EPO publication 0955742 on 10 Nov.1999.

Packet switch router 210 is conventional in structure and routes LANpackets on a LAN links 277 to the cable modem 246 and on LAN links 279,281, 283, 285, 287 and 289 to all the NCPs. The packet switch router isalso coupled by LAN links 291, 293, 295 and 297 to multiple sources ofEthernet or other LAN packets encapsulating IP packets encapsulatingMPEG video data and iData. MPEG video data or iData encapsulated inUDP/IP packets encapsulated in LAN packets addressed as previouslydescribed are supplied to the packet switch 210 from IP wrapper circuits276, 278 and 279. IP wrapper 276 encapsulates MPEG packets from MPEGtransport streams supplied from broadcast sources such as satellites andother cable system headends, as represented by cloud 280. IP wrappercircuit 283 also wraps MPEG packets for TIVO menus and TIVO videoservices coming from hard disk array 289. IP wrapper circuit 276 alsowraps MPEG video packets from near VOD servers 281. IP wrapper circuit278 supplies LAN packets encapsulating MPEG video packets and otherTCP/IP packets supplied from servers in server farm 282. IP wrappercircuit also serves to receive LAN packets addressed to web servers ininternet cloud 284 and other servers in server farm 282 and to strip offthe LAN packet headers and IP headers and output MPEG packets to theservers.

The servers in server farm 282 include VOD servers, game servers, EMMservers that supply weather, news, stock market data and messagesassociated with TV programs, electronic program guide servers, Tmailservers that display e-mail on customer TVs, data carousel servers, andTIVO-like personal video recorders in alternative embodiments where theTIVO functions are implemented by one or more servers at the headendinstead of being controlled by system control computer 244. Server farm282 can also include banks of transcoder servers to adjust the data rateof various streams of data. These transcoder servers receive MPEGpackets of video, TIVO menus or iData to be transmitted downstream to acustomer and reduce the data rate according to rate shaping commandsreceived from the system control computer to match the availablebandwidth for transmissions to the customer who requested the data. Therate adjusted data is then sent to the packet switch and routed to theappropriate NCP and transmitter for downstream transmission.

Near video on demand servers 281 are servers that broadcast pay-per-viewvideo programs on a frequent basis, usually the same movie over andover. Personal video recording servers are TIVO servers at the head endthat record video programs requested by users in upstream requests andperform the other TIVO functions such that each customer can have apersonal TIVO space at the head end with the TIVO functionalityimplemented by shared hardware and software. Other types of servers inthe server farm can include web servers that convert HTML packets fromthe web servers in internet cloud 284 or from web servers in the serverfarm 282 to MPEG or other data formats so that users without computerscan surf the web using their TVs and wireless keyboards or wirelessremotes or other devices. Tmail servers are computers that converte-mail messages to MPEG or other video data that can be converted to avideo signal that can be displayed on a user's TV to allow the user tosend and receive e-mail using their TVs and using wireless keyboards orwireless remotes. Data carousel servers serve up data similar toteletext messages. Transcoder servers transform streaming video andstreaming audio TCP/IP packet streams into MPEG 2 or MPEG 4 transportstreams and convert MPEG 1 transport streams to MPEG 2 transportstreams, and convert quicktime and real player formatted data in TCP/IPpackets to MPEG 2 or MPEG 4 transport streams.

The packet switch router 210 also receives LAN packets encapsulatingTCP/IP packets from web servers in internet cloud 284 and fromapplications servers in application server farm 286. These packets areencapsulated in MPEG packets and are encapsulated by IP wrapper circuits278 and 279 into LAN packets for routing by packet switch 210. The webservers allow users at home or in the office with their computers tohave internet access through the HFC plant 250 at much higher speedsthan dial up connections to ISPs.

The application server farm 286 can include advertising servers thatsend advertisements out to customers via MPEG transport streams orTCP/IP streaming audio or video or other formats. The application serverfarm 286 can also include Tcom servers that send and receive packetsthat allow customers to carry out telephone or videophone communicationsfrom their computers or televisions using wireless keyboards or wirelessremotes to dial and microphones and speakers in the wireless keyboardsor wireless remotes. The Tcom servers interface to the public servicetelephone network or high bandwidth services like T1, partial T1, framerelay or point to point networks and share the capacity thereof throughthe head end and do the packetization and depacketization necessary toprovide voice-over-IP. The application server farm 286 can also includegame servers that send and receive packets that allow customers to playgames on the game server at the head end remotely from their computersor televisions at home. Other possibilities are chat servers that allowcustomers to enter chat rooms on the internet or local chat roomsrestricted to the customers of the cable system, and statistical serversthat serve up any kind of statistical information. Other possibilitiesare security servers that send and receive packets that carry MPEG videodata from security cameras in user's homes or offices that can be viewedby security service personal at the head end, and banking servers thatallow customers to carry out electronic banking from their computers ortelevisions at home.

A management and system control computer 244 functions to control andcoordinate operations within the head end to supply the above mentionedservices including, in some embodiments, implementing the TIVOfunctions, as described above. In addition to the functions of routingVOD requests and sending downstream messages to implement VOD, computer244 also sends messages to transcoder servers in server farm 282 tocontrol the bandwidth of the recompression processing. In someembodiments, each NCP includes its own transcoder. In addition, computer244 also performs the following functions: manage subscribers to verifysubscribers are authorized to receive what they have requested; sendencryption key messages to the transmitters of the cable modem andcherrypicker transmitters to encrypt iData and video program data thatcustomers have ordered so only the customers who have subscribed or paidcan view or use the data; provisioning and directory management; networkmanagement such as bandwidth allocation and load balancing; reportingand analysis for management purposes; data management; and call centeroperations and other customer support functions. In addition, computer244 coordinates with CAS system 288 and billing system 290 managepayment for services rendered.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a more generalized architecuture for acable headend, central office or satellite uplink facility, representedby cloud 292. This headend facility can deliver iData and VOD and/orbroadcast video data to customers and perform TIVO functions for eachsubscriber via HFC, DSL or satellite. The embodiment of FIG. 7 performTIVO functions for each customer using one or more personal videorecorder (PVR) servers at in application server farm 286. These serversimplement all the TIVO functions identified above using their owncomputers and hard disk storage by cooperating with system controlcomputer 244 to control packet switch 210 to route video packets to berecorded to the PVR servers. The switch 210 is also controlled to routevideo packets encoding TIVO menus and recorded program playback data tocustomer gateways via the appropriate NCP and transmitter.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a block diagram of an advanced homegateway with built in TIVO video server, multiple broadband interfacecapability, multiple LAN interface capability and built in email, webserver, answering machine, voicemail and PBX functionality. This gatewayhas a front end section 300 which includes one or more broadbandinterface circuits and a remote transceiver for wireless communicationto a wireless remote control. These preferably are modular forexpandibility, and can include: an HFC pure SCDMA cable modem, a DOCSIS1.1 or 1.0 or other DOCSIS cable modem, a digital satellite receiver ortransceiver such as a Dish Network receiver or Starband modem, aterrestial broadcast tuner, a wireless local loop transceiver, OC-1 orOC-3 interface transceivers, and/or XDSL (any Digital Subscriber Line)modem. The front end 300 also includes a wireless remote interface forbidirectional communication with a remote (not shown). In someembodiments, block 300 can include one or more conventional analogtuners to tune to selected frequency division multiplexed analog CATVbroadcasts and provide the analog signals regular televisions withoutsettop adapters coupled to the gateway by dedicated coaxial cable linesand/or a single coax lines and splitters for drop lines to each TV. Thisprovides a standard CATV decoder analog tuner function on top of thedigital services provided.

These circuits in block 300 function to interface the gateway to one ormore broadband digital data delivery mediums for downstream only orbidirectional digital data communication and to the wireless remote. Allcombinations will include at least one transceiver so that upstreamcommands from a wireless remote can be sent.

The receivers/modems are interfaced to a router 302 by a section ofcircuitry 304 which includes an MPEG transport demultiplexer, a videodecoder, an MPEG encoder, a conditional access decryption circuit and arate shaping circuit. The rate shaping circuit will be present in allspecies to change the data rate of data travelling in both directions(headend to peripheral and peripheral to headend) to match the availablebandwidth. However, the other circuits in block 304 will be controlledto only be used where necessary because of the type of data or signalreceived by block 300 or the type of data or signal to be transmitted tothe headed by block 300. For example, the MPEG transport demultiplexerwill only be used when the received data includes an MPEG transportstream containing more than one PID to separate out the MPEG packetshaving different PIDs and group them together in the proper order.Likewise, the AID converter and video decoder, MPEG encoder and IPpacketization circuit 306 will be used when an analog video broadcastsignal is received. Such signals need to be digitized, converted to YUVformat data, MPEG compressed and packeted into an IP packet fortransmission over the LAN. The conditional access circuit will be usedonly when the received data is a pay-per-view data or is encrypted suchthat only paid subscribers can use the data and functions to do thenecessary decryption and/or conditional access gating. Basically,whatever processing is needed prior to IP packetization on the signalsoutput from whatever transceiver in the transceiver section 300 thatreceived the signal or data is performed by the appropriate circuitry inblock 304.

The IP packetization circuit 306 received compressed video data andother auxiliary and iData from the headend which needs encapsulationinto IP packets and encapsulates the data into IP packets addressed toprocess in the settop decoder of the TV or the wireless remote controlwhere the video program is to be viewed or some other peripheral thatneeds iData. The IP packetization process performs the reverse processfor data being transmitted to the headend by stripping off the IP packetheaders in some embodiments and leaving them on in other embodiments.The process to which the data is addressed in the IP packet header isthe MPEG decompression process where the data is decompressed prior toconversion to a format which can be displayed.

IP packetization circuit 306 also serves the function of the IP wrappercircuit 276 of FIG. 6 to wrap the IP packets in LAN packets, preferablyEthernet LAN packets, having a LAN station address that is mapped to thePID of the video program encoded in the packets. This way router/packetswitch 302 can be an inexpensive LAN packet switch in the preferredembodiment. In such embodiments, after the router has sent the packetsto one of the LAN NIC interfaces 310 through 318, if the LAN headers arenot of the type used in the protocol implemented by the LAN NIC, the NICstrips off the LAN headers and puts new LAN headers on which areaddressed to the peripheral that ordered the service. Host 308 willcommunicate with each NIC and give it mapping information to map theaddressing information in the LAN packet headers coming out of therouter into the LAN address space of the NIC in question.

Home PNA LAN NIC 310 includes all the software and hardware to manageand communicate over a PNA LAN.

NIC 312 contains all the hardware and software to manage and communicateover an IEEE 802.3 or 802.5 Ethernet protocol LAN implemented onCategory 3, 4 or 5 unshielded twisted pair wiring or over shieldedtwisted pair or coaxial cable.

A wireless LAN is implemented by the hardware and software of NIC 314 toprovide physical layer and media access control (MAC) protocolsaccording to the IEEE 802.11 standard for longer distance wireless linksthan Blue Tooth LANs can provide. NIC 316 implements the Blue Tooth LANphysical and media access control hardware and software protocols. NIC318 implements the hardware and software to manage and communicate overpower line and/or telephone line LANs and provides the physical layerand media access control circuitry and protocols to do so.

LAN NIC 319 implements the hardware and software to manage andcommunicate over frequency division multiplexed upstream and downstreamlocal area network channels on existing cable television coaxial cablealready in existence in a customer premises. NIC 319 provides thecircuitry to receive LAN packets from router 302 and strip off the LANpacket headers and put on LAN packet headers suitable for the CATV coaxLAN and transmit them on the proper outbound frequency channel. NIC 319also provides the circuitry to receive LAN packets from the inboundfrequency channel, strip off the LAN headers and repacketize theencapsulated IP packets into LAN packets of a type router 302understands and send them to router 302.

These NICs 310 to 319 may be coupled to the gateway via modularconnections. This structure is referred to in the claims as “modularlyconnected”.

This protocol translation function of stripping off LAN headers ofpackets coming from the router and repacketizing into different LANpackets understood by the LAN NIC protocols and vice versa, andtransmitting and receiving according to the appropriate protocols onwhatever type LAN is connected to the NIC happens in all the NICs 310through 319. An additional function and advantage of packetswitch/router 302 is to allow peripherals on any one of the LANs coupledto NICs 310 through 319 to communicate with each other through therouter 302 and the individual NICs acting as bridges between protocols.Thus, smart appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, heating and airconditioning units coupled to a power line LAN can be controlled from apersonal computer on a different LAN such as an 802.3 LAN through router302 and NIC 318 and NiC 312 or through a wireless remote control. Inembodiments where there is only one LAN with a shared coaxial cablemedium with splitters to split off drop lines to various peripherals,the peripherals can still communicate with each other through thesplitter's inherent leakage from one line to another.

However, in alternative embodiments, router/packet switch 302 can be anIP packet router and packetization of the IP packets into LAN packetsoccurs at the appropriate NIC to which the IP packets are routed. Thevarious prior art LAN technologies, topologies and protocols that can beused are not limited to the examples described here. Additional examplesand more detail about existing LAN technologies, routers, packetswitching, media access control, internetworking, video communications,digital TV, compression and bandwidth, MPEG, WAN video networks,congestion management and latency, ATM protocols over HFC or pure fiberWANs, LAN-based video networks, gateways, satellite, DSL and cablemodems can be found in Horak and Miller, Communications Systems andNetworks: Voice, Data and Broadband Technologies, ISBN 1-55851-485-6(M&T Books 1997) Foster City, Calif., which is hereby incorporated byreference.

The IP packetization circuit determines which IP destination address touse in constructing the IP packets via data received from the hostmicroprocessor 308. When the original request for the program wasreceived by one of the LAN NICs 310, 312, 314, 316 or 318, it has theLAN packet header stripped off by the NIC and the IP packet containingthe request is sent to router 302. The router 302 sends It to the hostmicroprocessor 308. The host microprocessor 308 determines from the LANpacket source address containing the request which peripheral's networkadapter/transceiver transmitted the request on the LAN. The IP addressof the MPEG decompression process in this network adapter is thentransmitted by the host 308 to the IP packetization circuit along withthe PID of the requested program via the router 302. The host 308 thenforwards the request to the appropriate transceiver in block 300 viarouter 302 for transmission to the headend. Later, a downstream messageis received from the headend that gets routed to host 308 and tells thehost which logical channel(s) and subchannel(s) the data encoding therequested program will be arriving on. The host 308 then sends a commandvia router 302 to the appropriate transceiver/modem in block 300, wherenecessary, to control it to tune to the right logical channel(s) andsubchannel(s) to receive the data. In this example, logical channel isthe frequency of the carrier and logical subchannel is the timeslot,spreading code or PID used to transmit the data of the requested programin this example. Host 308 then sends a message via router 302 to theMPEG transport demultiplexer telling which MPEG packets to pick out fromthe received MPEG transport stream. A message is then sent to IPpacketization circuit 306 via router 302 telling it to which IP addressto address the IP packets containing the MPEG packets picked out by theMPEG transport demultiplexer. The host then sends a message to router302 telling R to which NIC to route those IP packets. At the NIC, the IPpackets are encapsulated into whatever type packet is used in theparticular protocol implemented by the NIC, and they are transmitted tothe proper NIC on the LAN or the proper wireless transceiver. Thereceiving NIC or transceiver then strips off the LAN packet header androutes the IP packet to whatever process the IP packet is addressed to,usually an MPEG decompression process in the case of MPEG packetscontaining data in the case of MPEG packets containing IP packet dataimplementing broadband internet access, the outer IP packets areaddressed to a browser or e-mail client on a PC somewhere.

In the embodiment of FIG. 8, no separate transceiver for the wirelessremote is shown. This is because the wireless remote may send commandsto or receive data from the gateway via one of the wireless NIC adapters314 or 316. In alternative embodiments, the wireless remote may exchangecommands and data with some settop decoder out on one of the LANS andthen the commands and data are exchanged with the gateway via LANpackets.

Each of the NICs 310 through 318 uses a different transmission mediumand may use a different protocol. Some are wireless, some use existingwiring in the home such as power or phone lines and NIC 312 uses customCAT 5 wiring added to the home.

A DHCP server 320 assigns IP addresses to clients on the LANs and in thegateway when they power up. TIVO video server and bulk storage harddrive 322 implement some or all of the TIVO functions previouslydescribed. DVD player 324 is a shared DVD player in the gateway thatallows a DVD to be watched on any TV in the home by encapsulating theraw digital video data from the DVD disk into an IP packet addressed tothe settop decoder that requested the DVD. The IP packet is thenencapsulated by the DVD player into the type of LAN packet that therouter 302 uses. This LAN packet will be addressed to the MPEG encoderin block 304. The router 302 sends it to the MPEG encoder which stripsoff the headers and compresses the video data. The compressed data isthen sent to IP packetization circuit 306 for IP packetization addressedto the requesting settop decoder. The IP packetization circuit thenencapsulates the IP packet into a LAN packet of the type the router 302switches and sends it to the router in embodiments where the router 302switches LAN packets (no LAN packet encapsulation is necessary if router302 is an IP packet router. The resulting IP packets are then routed tothe appropriate NIC by router 302 under control of host 308 and arethere re-encapsulated in the appropriate LAN packet for the protocolimplemented by the NIC and transmitted to the requesting settop decoder.

The router 302 is a conventional LAN packet switch in embodiments whereblock 306 is an IP wrapper that wraps IP packets in LAN packets, and isan IP packet router where LAN packet encapsulation does not occur inblock 306. Router 302 functions to use addressing information in thepacket headers and routing tables built from data supplied by host 308as to where everything needs to go to route data to the properdestination. Router 302 is also coupled to optional display 323 andkeyboard/pointing device 325 peripherals through suitable interfaces 326and 328, respectively. The display and keyboard allow the gateway to becontrolled directly from the keyboard and display as opposed to througha wireless remote transceiver interface 327 and router 302. Wirelessremote transceiver interface sends and receives wireless commands anddata to a wireless infrared or RF remote possibly having a display anddoes all interfacing needed including LAN packetization to get commandsand data routed by router 302 to host 308, TIVO server 322, the headendor other destinations to control the gateway and/or headend to supplythe requested services to the requested peripherals.

In some embodiments, the gateway's host 308 will have addedfunctionality programs stored in memory 324 to provided added capabilityto the gateway as email, voicemail, PBX functions, web serverfunctionality and a shared answering machine.

An e-mail program 330 provides the capability for email to be sent andreceived via a television set and wireless remote or wireless keyboardout on the local area networks. The e-mail program controls host 308 tocontrol the router such that LAN packets containing IP packetscontaining requests to retrieve e-mail are routed to host 308 and e-mailprocess 330. The e-mail process then controls host 308 to generate an IPpacket addressed to the mail server of the internet service provider(ISP) of the customer that made the request and sends it to router 302to send to the appropriate transceiver in block 300 or to conventionalmodem in PSTN interface 332 for transmission to the headend servercoupled to the internet for transmission to the ISP mail server or viathe PSTN to the ISP's mail server. The ISP mail server then sends backIP packets addressed to the e-mail process 330. These packets get routedto host 308 because the e-mail process 330 controls the host to set upthe routing tables in this way. The e-mail process 330 controls host 308to receive these IP packets containing e-mail either from the server atthe headend via one of the broadband connections 14A, 14B, 14C, 14D(wireless local loop) or 14E (OC-1 or OC-3) or, in some alternativeembodiments, via the conventional modem in PSTN interface 332. The host308 extracts the e-mail data and encapsulates it in an IP packetaddressed to an e-mail process in a settop decoder box of one or more ofthe TVs out on the LANs coupled to the NICs 310 through 318. These IPpackets are then encapsulated into LAN packets of the type packet switch302 can route and sent to the switch which routes them to theappropriate NIC. The NIC then strips off the LAN header if necessary andreplaces it with whatever LAN header is used in the protocol implementedby the NIC. In the preferred embodiment, packet switch 302 is anEthernet protocol switch because they are cheap and plentiful. However,if the packets need to be sent over a wireless LAN with its ownproprietary protocol such as the Blue Tooth protocol, the Ethernetheaders need to be stripped off and replaced with Blue Tooth LAN packetheaders.

At the settop decoders, the e-mail data is stripped out of the packetsand converted to an analog NTSC, PAL or SECAM video signal just likeauxiliary data that comes with video programs gets converted in the sameway. In some embodiments, the analog signal containing the e-mail can besuperimposed on whatever video program is being watched such as in ascrolling banne above or below the picture or in “picture-in-picture”box that can be moved around the screen.

If the user wishes to reply or send an e-mail, a command is sent fromthe wireless remote or keyboard which gets routed to process 330 whichthen sends out data for a message composition screen. This screen getsdisplayed, and as characters are entered into the various fields via thewireless keyboard or remote control, they are displayed on thecomposition screen either by being echoed back from the e-mail process330 or by a wireless remote transceiver process at the settop decoder.When the message is ready to send, the user gives a send command byinvoking an icon or typing a text command. The data is the message isthen encapsulated in an IP packet addressed to the mail server of thecustomer's ISP. This is done either by the e-mail process 330 or by aprocess in the settop decoder depending upon where the wireless remotetransceiver is located and the message is composed and stored in memory.If that happens at the settop decoder, the IP packets are encapsulatedinto LAN packets addressed to process 330 and sent to the NIC where theyget routed to process 330. Host 308 then does the appropriate headerstripping and additional encapsulation if necessary to get the packetsaddressed to the appropriate transceiver in block 300 or conventionalmodem in interface 332 for transmission to the mail server.

In some alternative embodiments, a voicemail and/or PBX application 334(hereafter referred to as the PBX application) will control host 308 toallow the gateway to double as a PBX with voicemail recording capabilityand implement voice-over-IP services for telephones coupled via LANadapters to one or more LANs coupled to the gateway. In theseembodiments, the PBX application controls the host 308 to monitorincoming calls from the PSTN via PSTN Interface 332 and incoming callsfrom voice-over-IP channels and to provide traditional PBX functionalityincluding provision of voicemail. Some of this traditional PBXfunctionality is to set up conference calls, to transfer calls todifferent extensions, to multiplex multiple incoming simultaneous callson different voice-over-IP channels to the appropriate extension phonescoupled to the gateway via a LAN, to multiplex simultaneously outgoingcalls from different extensions onto multiple voice-over-IP channels onone or more of the broadband transmission mediums coupled to block 300,to park an incoming call on a busy extension, to put a caller on hold,and do any other traditional PBX only functions. PSTN interface circuitsto interface personal computers to the PSTN to do the PSTN signallingprotocol, generate call progress tones, dial numbers, digitize incominganalog voice signals for processing by the computer, convert digitizedvoice to analog signals, etc. are commercially available from Dialogicand other sources. Interface 332 and PBX application 334 represent thehardware and software of these prior art systems as modified to work inthe gateway environment with LANs coupling the individual telephones tothe gateway.

The modifications needed to the prior art hardware and software are asfollows. Host 308 must build routing data in the routing tables suchthat call status packets coming from PSTN interface 332 are routed tohost 308, and signalling packets generated in host 308 are routed tointerface 332 and call progress tone packets such as ring signals, busysignals, etc. generated by host 308 are routed to the appropriate NICfor sending to the proper telephone adapter. For example, suppose anincoming ring signal is detected by interface 332. A signal packetindicating a ring will be routed to host 308. Host 308 generates an“answer packet” telling the interface 332 to go off-hook and generatesand sends message packets to play a greeting message to interface 332.The interface goes off hook, converts the message data to analog voicesignals and couples these analog signal on the PSTN lines. Typically,the greeting would say something like, “Thank for calling the Smithresidence. If you would like to talk to Sonia, dial ext 10. If you wouldlike to talk to . . . . If you would like to leave a voicemail message,dial ext 34.” The incoming dial tones for the chosen extension aredetected by interface 332, packetized and routed to host 308.Alternatively, the tones are digitized and sent to host 308 forrecognition. The host 308 then responds under control of the PBXfunction to carry out the request. If the caller wants to speak toSonia, the host generates a “ring control” IP packet addressed toSonia's telephone adapter and encapsulates it in a LAN packet addressedto Sonia's telephone adapter or the NIC to which it is coupled by a LAN.Router 302 routes the packet to the appropriate NIC, and it istransmitted on the LAN or repacketized and transmitted on the LAN toSonia's telephone adapter which converts it to a ring signal and ringsSonia's phone. A timer or ring counter is started by the host forpurposes of diverting the caller to voicemail if Sonia does not answer.

Sonia's telephone adapter detects when Sonia answers her phone, andsends back a packet indicating the phone was answered. If Sonia doesanswer her phone, and speaks, the telephone adapter digitizes her voice,packetizes the data in IP packets addressed to host 308 and packetizesthe IP packets in LAN packets and sends them on the LAN. The NICreceives the packets and repacketizes them if necessary into LAN packetsthe router 302 uses addressed to host 308 and sends them to the routerfor routing to the host. In alternative embodiments, these packets maybe repacketized by the NIC under control of the host 308 into LANpackets addressed to interface 332 and routed directly to the interface.If they go to the host, the host repacketizes them addressed tointerface 332 and sends them to the router for transfer to the PSTNinterface 332. The interface does DIA conversion to convert the data ofSonia's voice to analog audio and plays the audio out on the PSTN pair.When the call is finished and one or the other conversant hangs up, thisfact is detected by interface 332 or Sonia's telephone adapter and acontrol packet is sent to host 308 which sends a control packet tointerface 332 causing it to go on-hook and sends any necessary callprogress tone packet to sonia's telephone adapter to, for example, causeit to play a dial tone if the caller was first to hang up.

If Sonia's phone was not answered, and timeout occurs without receivinga phone was answered“packet, the host 308 generates and sends tointerface 332, packets that play Sonia's prerecorded voicemail greeting.The interface 332 converts them to analog audio and plays them on thePSTN pair. The greeting includes a beep tone to signal when to startleaving a message. When the caller speaks her message, the sound isdigitized and packetized and addressed to the voicemail process in thePBX process 334. The voicemail process creates a file in a directorystructure on hard disk 338 or the TIVO server hard drive 322 and storesthe voicemail data in the file. The host 308 then sends a control packetto Sonia's telephone adapter to cause it to light a message waitinglight or other give a message waiting indication.

Outgoing calls work as follows. When Sonia picks up her phone, heradapter sends a control packet to the host over the LAN saying she hasgone off-hook. Host sends back call progress tone packets over the LANto cause the adapter to play a dial tone. Sonia dials a number. Theadapter either recognizes the DTMF tones or digitizes them and sendsthem to the host for recognition. Either way, the host receives datafrom which it can figure out the number called. The host reacts bysending control packets to interface 332 telling it to go off hook anddial a certain number. The interface goes off hook, and then a DTMFgenerator in the interface 332 generates the DTMF tones of the numberdialed. Call progress tones such as ringing tones from the centraloffice are recognized and control packets are sent to host 308 or simplydigitized and sent to host 308 for recognition. Host 308 sends the samecall progress tones in LAN packets to Sonia's telephone adapter over theLAN. When the called party picks up and speaks, the voice is digitized,packetized and routed to host 308 which repacketizes it into IP packetsand LAN packets addressed to Sonia's telephone adapter and sends them tothe router. The router routs them to the proper NIC and they then mayget repacketized Into the LAN packets for the particular LAN protocol inuse and then they are sent on the LAN. The reverse process happens forpackets containing Sonia's digitized voice replies.

This functionality just described for PBX application 334 is referred toin the claims as voicemail and PBX functionality in some embodiments,the phones may be coupled to the gateway by dedicated lines in whichcase, host 308 controls an interface like 332 for each tip and ring paircoupled to a phone in the household, and the software is modified to notsend and receive digitized voice and control and call progress packetsto telephone adapters over a LAN but sends them directly to theappropriate interface coupled to the tip and ring pair coupled to theappropriate phone.

In some alternative embodiments, a web server application 340 controlshost computer 308 to serve web pages to browsers on the internet. Thisis done via a suitable interface 332 to a T1, partial T1 or ADSL channelto a router or switch coupled to the internet at a PSTN central officeor via a dedicated T1 line through the central office to an InternetService Provider (ISP) to provide an always on channel to arouter/switch on the internet at the ISP. In alternative embodiments,the always on connection to the internet is provided via a cable modemin block 300 and an HFC channel to a router or switch coupled to theinternet at the cable plant headend. In still other embodiments,connectivity to the internet may be made through a Starband transceiverin block 300 and a satellite uplink and a satellite downlink to routeror switch coupled to the internet at the Starband server farm. Wirelesslocal loop connections to the internet may also be used in someembodiments.

Web browsers can visit the URL of web server 340 and request one or moreweb pages. These web pages are packetized in IP packets addressed to theweb browser that requested them by host 308 and are then packetized inLAN packets of the type switch 302 understands addressed to T1 interface332, all under control of web server 340. The LAN packets are then sentto router 302 which sends them to T1 interface 332 which strips off theLAN packet headers and transmits them to the router on the internet onT1 timeslots. The router on the internet gets them to the browser thatrequested them. Further requests from the browser are sent back to T1interface 332 as IP packets that get routed by router 302 to host 308and web server process 340.

The web server application is an HTTP server program such as HTTPDrunning on a Unix operating system, Microsoft's Internet InformationServer or Netscape's Enterprise Server running under a Windows operatingsystem.

In some embodiments, the host 308 is further programmed by an answeringmachine program 342 to provide a shared answering machine to recordmessages for all members of the household for incoming conventional PSTNtelephone calls arriving via PSTN interface 332 or via voice-over-IPpackets arriving from the headend via cable modem, satellitetransceiver, etc. in block 300. The answering machine program controlshost 308 in a manner identical to that previously described for thevoicemail functionality of the PBX program 334, but it does not providethe PBX functionality of PBX program 334 to set up conference calls,transfer calls to different extensions, multiplex multiple simultaneouscalls onto different voice-over-IP channels on one of the broadbandtransmission mediums coupled to block 300, park an incoming call on abusy extension, put a caller on hold, and other traditional PBX onlyfunctions.

Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown a block diagram of a wireless remotecontrol implemented on a personal digital assistant (PDA) havingwireless capabilities. The remote control of FIG. 9 can do all regularPDA functions it is programmed to do such as calendar and appointments,word processing, database and address book functions. However, inaddition, it has a wireless RF transceiver module 380 that plugs intothe PDA's PCMCIA or Handspring Visor Springboard slot by which commandsand data can be exchanged with the transceiver of a home gateway or somesettop decoder with a transceiver on a LAN coupled to the gateway. Inalternative embodiments, module 380 is a wireless LAN NIC that couplesthe remote to the gateway through a wireless LAN or hardwired LAN havinga peripheral coupled thereto which communicates with the NIC 380. ThePDA is programmed with various programs which implement various ones ofthe following functions: menu display, transmission of upstreamrequests, receiving and decompressing an MPEG compressed video streamand converting the data to a format suitable for display on the PDAdisplay, TCP/IP processing of IP packets, web browsing, smart appliancecontrol, TIVO function control for digital video recording and videospecial effect control of TIVO functions implemented by the home gatewayor headend, IP telephony, MP3 player and cellular telephony.

The PDA remote 399 is comprised of a host processor coupled byconventional circuitry to an LCD or TFT or any other conventionalcomputer display 402 and to a keyboard, pointing device or other userinput device on the PDA. The host 400 is also coupled to audio input andoutput circuits 406 to allow playing of MP3 files and receiving audioinputs such as voice commands to control TIVO functions, changechannels, order movies, play games etc. Voice recognition software of aconventional variety may be used if voice commands are to be given.PCMCIA or springboard modular wireless transceiver or wireless LAN NIC(hereafter just PC card) 380 provides the connectivity to the gatewayeither directly or through a wireless or other LAN coupled to thegateway to send and receive commands and data.

Memory 408 may be volatile or nonvolatile EEPROM and usually has some ofeach. The memory has a reserved frame buffer 410 and working addressspace 412 which includes both memory and I/O space for the PC card. Insome embodiments, the PC card includes auxiliary expansion memory whichmay be accessed simultaneously with the other circuitry on the PC cardas is known in the art. An operating system 415 is shown as stored inworking memory. Memory 408 also includes one or more programs that drivemenu displays on display 402, but these are usually part of OS 415 orany of the other application programs.

One or more programs 416 control host 400 and display 402 to displaymenus from which services provided by the headend may be ordered orinvoked by receiving input from keyboard/input device 404. This causeshost 400 to generate an IP packet using TCP/IP stack programs 418requesting the service and sends it PC card 380 for transmission to thegateway. These upstream request packets can include such requests asordering a video on demand selection, changing a channel for broadcasts,ordering a preview of another channel or VOD selection to be sent to thePDA remote 399 for viewing on display 402 while something else iswatched on a TV connected directly or indirectly to the gateway, etc.One or more MPEG decompression programs 420 control host 400 to receiveMPEG compressed streaming video of previews, game video, etc. to bedisplayed on remote display 402 and decompress the video back to itsuncompressed state. Program(s) 420 then control host 400 to convert thevideo to a state in which it can be viewed on display 402 and storeseach frame of data in frame buffer 410.

One or more programs implementing a web browser control host 400 to sendupstream IP request packets via PC card 380 to the gateway. The gatewayroutes the packets to the web server in the gateway, if implemented, orto a web server connected to the internet through a conventional modemor a broadband internet channel on the broadband medium(s) 14. Thesepackets allow the user to use the PDA remote to browse the internet inwireless fashion and to receive IP packets containing web page data ande-mail and attachments. The program(s) 422 control host 400 to strip outthe data and convert it to a format for display on display 402.

One or more programs 424 allows the user to use the PDA remote to, in awireless fashion, control various'smart appliances coupled to thegateway through the LAN. Thus, the user can turn on a coffee machine ormicrowave, lower or raise her thermostat, turn an oven on or off, etc.while watching TV in another room.

One or more programs 426 control the host 400 to receive TIVO menupackets and display the menus, and receive user input from the keyboardor pointing device to make selections of TIVO functions to beimplemented by the gateway or headend etc.

One or more programs 428 control host 400 to implement IP telephony toallow the user to make free long distance calls in a wireless fashion.Program(s) 428 control host 400 to received digitized voice data fromaudio I/O circuits 406 and to receive dialing instructions from thekeyboard/input device 404 (a telephone keypad may be displayed ondisplay 402 and numbers picked by pointing device). IP packets are thensent back and forth to the gateway for dialing, call progress sounds andincoming and outgoing digitized voice. The gateway routes these packetsvia a broadband medium to a server on the internet which routes them toa server at the other end which interfaces the internet to aconventional phone via the local loop or to another IP telephony processfor conversion to sounds the other conversant can hear and do all theother things necessary to complete the call. The IP telephony programssubstitute the packet switching of the internet for the traditionalswitched circuit dedicated connections of the PSTN.

One or more programs 430 control host 400 to order MP3 music files froman MP3 server in the gateway, decode the files into digital data thatcan be played by the audio I/O circuits 406 and send the decoded data tothe audio I/O circuits 406.

One or more programs 432 control host 400 to use audio I/O circuits 406to convert the PDA remote into a cellular telephone. This works the sameway as the IP telephony, except the digitized voice, status and controltraffic, call progress tone data, dialing instructions, etc. areencapsulated in IP packets and then encapsulated in LAN packets therouter in the gateway understands. These packets are then transmitteddirectly to the gateway or to a wireless LAN NIC for transfer to thegateway with appropriate LAN packet encapsulation/translation for theintervening protocols between the PDA and the router in the gateway. Therouter in the gateway then routes them to a cellular transceiver in thegateway for coupling to the cellular network. In alternativeembodiments, the IP packets containing cellular data may be sent over abroadband medium to the headend where it is routed to a cellulartransceiver coupled to the cellular network. This is especiallyeffective where cellular coverage does not reach a customer's home butdoes reach the headend.

One or more programs 434 control the host to do conventional PDAfunctions such as calender, address book, word processing and databasefunctions. Another program which may be present as symbolized by block434 controls said host 400 to carry out a discovery process to determinewhat serves are present in the gateway and/or headend and what their IPaddresses are.

Although the invention has been disclosed in terms of the preferred andalternative embodiments disclosed herein, those skilled in the art willappreciate possible alternative embodiments and other modifications tothe teachings disclosed herein which do not depart from the spirit andscope of the invention. All such alternative embodiments and othermodifications are intended to be included within the scope of the claimsappended hereto.

1. A wireless remote control comprising: a personal digital assistant orother handheld device (both hereafter referred to as a personal digitalassistant) having a host processor, a display capable of displayingvideo, a user input device for receiving commands and/or text input, andaudio input/output circuitry, and memory; a wireless transceiver coupledto said personal digital assistant host processor for transmitting datato and receiving data from another wireless transceiver; and whereinsaid memory stores an operating system and one or more programs tocontrol said host processor to display digital video recording andplayback menus on said display of said personal digital assistant and tomonitor for input of digital video recording or playback commandsentered via said user input device and for sending said commands to adigital video recording and playback enabled gateway or via said gatewayand a hybrid fiber coaxial cable or DSL data path to a digital videorecording and playback enabled headend to invoke the desired digitalvideo recording or playback function such that said personal digitalassistant can act as a remote control for said digital video recordingand playback enabled gateway or said digital video recording andplayback enabled headend.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein saidmemory includes an area reserved as a frame buffer and is furtherprogrammed with one or more programs that control said host processor toreceive compressed video streams and decompress them to uncompressedvideo data and for converting said uncompressed video data to a formatsuitable for display on said display and storing said data in said framebuffer and displaying said data on said display.
 3. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein said memory is further programmed with one or moreprograms to control said host processor to act as a wireless web browserby receiving user commands issued by a user through said input device ofsaid personal digital assistant and transmitted wirelessly to saidgateway which causes said gateway to transmit commands via said hybridfiber coaxial cable of DSL data path to said headend to cause saidheadend to control a server coupled to a wide area network to fetch datafrom one or more servers of said wide area network and transmit saidfetched data back to said host processor of said personal digitalassistant via said headend and said customer premises gateway fordisplay on said display of said personal digital assistant.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said memory is further programmed with oneor more programs to control said host processor to enable said wirelessremote control to control smart household appliances coupled to a localarea network to which said remote control is coupled by virtue ofwireless commands sent to said gateway, said gateway being coupled tosaid smart household appliances via said local area network.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said memory is further programmed with oneor more programs to control said host processor of said personal digitalassistant to enable said wireless remote control to control and invokevideo playback or channel selection functions implemented by saidgateway in cooperation with a headend so as to cause scheduled broadcastvideo programs transmitted by said headend to be selected by saidgateway or to cause user-selected video-on-demand programs to betransmitted by said headend to said gateway.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1wherein said personal digital assistant further comprises audio inputand output circuitry, and wherein said memory is further programmed withone or more programs to control said host processor to enable saidwireless remote control to send wireless commands to retrieve MP3 filesfrom an MP3 server in a gateway and to play said MP3 files.
 7. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein said personal digital assistant furthercomprises audio input and output circuitry, and wherein said memory isfurther programmed with one or more programs to control said hostprocessor to enable said wireless remote control to act as a wirelesstelephone to carry out IP telephony.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid personal digital assistant further comprises audio input and outputcircuitry, and wherein said memory is further programmed with one ormore programs to control said host processor to enable said wirelessremote control to act as a cellular telephone by transmitting datapackets to a gateway for routing to a cellular transceiver in radiocontact with a cellular network.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1 whereinsaid memory is further programmed with one or more programs to controlsaid host processor to enable said host processor to perform calendarand/or address book functions and to perform word processing and/ordatabase functions.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said memory isfurther programmed with one or more programs that control said hostprocessor to carry out a wireless discovery process to determine whattypes of servers are in or coupled to a gateway or headend coupled tosaid gateway via said hybrid fiber coaxial cable or DSL data path todiscover the IP addresses of said servers.
 11. A wireless remote controlcomprising: a host processor, a display capable of displaying videocoupled to said host processor, a user input device for receivingcommands and/or text input also coupled to said host processor, and amemory coupled to said host processor; a wireless transceiver coupled tosaid host processor for transmitting data to and receiving data fromanother wireless transceiver; and wherein said memory stores anoperating system and one or more programs to control said host processorto display digital video recording and playback menus on said displayand to monitor for input of digital video recording or playback commandsentered via said user input device and for sending said commands to adigital video recording and playback enabled gateway or via said gatewayand a hybrid fiber coaxial cable or DSL data path to a digital videorecording and playback enabled headend to invoke a desired digital videorecording or playback function such that said remote control canwirelessly control said digital video recording and playback functionsof said gateway and/or said digital video recording and playback enabledheadend, and wherein wherein said memory is further programmed with oneor more programs to control said host processor to act as a wireless webbrowser by receiving user commands issued by a user through said inputdevice and transmitting said commands wirelessly to said gateway whichcauses said gateway to transmit commands via said hybrid fiber coaxialcable or DSL data path to said headend to cause said headend to controla server coupled to a wide area network to fetch data from one or moreservers of said wide area network and transmit said fetched data back tosaid host processor of said personal digital assistant via said headendand said customer premises gateway for display on said display.